The US secretary of state Hillary Clinton enraged human rights activists as she arrived in Beijing last night on the final stop of her Asia tour by suggesting that human rights issues should take a back seat to US-China co-operation on climate change and the global financial crisis.
Leaving the South Korean capital Seoul for Beijing on her inaugural trip abroad as the top American diplomat, Mrs Clinton told reporters that the debate with China over human rights, Taiwan and Tibet could not be allowed to interfere with attempts to reach consensus on other broader issues.
She said it might be better to agree to disagree on their long-standing positions and focus instead on engagement on climate change, the financial crisis and security threats.
"I had no idea Clinton's speechwriters had been replaced by [the Chinese government's official news agency] Xinhua," said Sophie Richardson, advocacy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division.
"To suggest that these ideas [of human rights] should be put into a box and just left in the corner is unconscionable. It's what gets said on these first visits that really sets the tone for the rest of the relationship.
"I remember a cold day last month when a lot of happy people gathered in Washington because they expected a lot of things they didn't like about the US to change. Was that a dream?"
Mrs Clinton's stance is short-sighted because while the Chinese public suffers from a lack of human rights inside the country, there is also a direct impact on the rest of the world, Ms Richardson said.
"For example, domestic press censorship is not just problematic because of its implications for freedom of speech but also because you have lead-painted toys showing up in living rooms all over the world as a result," she said. "There are human rights aspects to every single issue the US has going on with China."
As she boarded the plane for the Chinese capital, Mrs Clinton said she would raise human rights issues with her Chinese counterparts but noted that neither side was likely to give ground. Analysts said neither country, struggling to cope with the consequences of financial meltdown, was in a position to make big demands of the other.
"The talks will allow both sides to confirm some general principles of operation," said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations and director of the Center for American studies at Renmin University in Beijing.
"Matters such as the global financial crisis are increasing their interdependence and need for co-operation and I expect there to be no change in the relationship from the way it was under George Bush with the exception of a new focus on climate change.
"The US wants Chinese money so it cannot afford to confront China over trade issues or other areas of disagreement. For its part, China will emphasise its strong opposition to any protectionist trade measures the US might take. The US, for domestic reasons, will raise human rights and religious freedoms and they will be discussed, but I don't think they will be serious about it and neither side will give them a prominent position."
Mrs Clinton was scheduled for a hectic timetable of meetings with the Chinese leadership today, with North Korea high on the agenda. While in Seoul, Mrs Clinton urged North Korea's leaders to stop being provocative and not to go ahead with a threatened missile launch. China, regarded as North Korea's closest ally, is host of the six-nation talks that also involve the US and are aimed at ending the reclusive Stalinist regime's nuclear ambitions.
However, North Korea is likely to press on with a test-fire of its long-range missiles, Prof Shi said.
Officials in South Korea have also been anticipating a short-range missile test near a disputed sea border where navies from the two countries have clashed in the past.
"The situation on the Korean peninsula is very serious and neither the US nor China is prepared for it," said Prof Shi.
tspender@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by agencies
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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From exhibitions to the battlefield
In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.
It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.
It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.
It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
More on Yemen's civil war
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
